Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently declared that President Donald Trump’s administration is considering declaring an emergency situation for housing. He pointed out the weakest summer home sales in a decade, with more than 15% of transactions falling through in July, the highest cancellation rate since record-keeping commenced in 2017. Prices, though below pandemic levels, are still too lofty for working- and middle-class Americans.

Bessent is right to sound the alarm, and a housing emergency declaration is long overdue. 

For too long, politicians have praised the virtues of homeownership while supporting policies that make it harder to achieve. America no longer produces enough houses to meet demand, and existing houses have become more costly than they would otherwise have been due to restrictions imposed by government on building and investing.

National housing experts estimate the United States is short between 3.2 million and 5.5 million homes, depending on the methodology used. Freddie Mac puts the gap at roughly 3.8 million units, while the National Low Income Housing Coalition reports a shortage of more than 7 million affordable and accessible units. This gap between supply and demand is the very reason for rising home prices.

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Government regulations have been largely responsible for causing the shortage.

Studies from the National Association of Home Builders show that federal, state and local regulations account for nearly 24% of the price of a new single-family home and more than 40% of the cost of new multifamily housing. Zoning limitations that restrict density, lengthy permitting programs that draw out projects over years, and building codes that differ significantly from one jurisdiction to another all create unnecessary costs and lost time. For some metro regions, it takes over a decade to transition a project from conceptualization through completion.

If the Trump administration does indeed choose to declare a national housing emergency, its resulting emergency plan should not seek to micromanage local housing markets or build new federal bureaucracies. Instead, it should focus on clearing away the obstacles that make it harder for the private sector to meet today’s growing demand for housing.

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Wherever stringent restrictions have been imposed upon developers or landlords, housing availability has contracted and affordability has gotten further out of reach. Conversely, where markets are freed to act – when permitting is streamlined, financing is accessible and development is allowed to respond to demand – housing has become more plentiful and prices have stabilized.

California shows how this plays out. For decades, stringent zoning and environmental vetting brought building close to a halt, leaving the state short almost 1.3 million units , according one recent estimate. By contrast, states like Texas, which moved more quickly on permitting and allowed higher-density development, have seen faster growth in supply and more moderate price increases even as their populations expanded. In fact, home prices are declining faster in Texas than any other state.

Instead of following states like Texas’ lead and tackling the root causes of the housing shortage, Washington, D.C., continues to scapegoat the private sector. 

Take, for example, the trend of blaming rent pricing software.

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Launched under President Joe Biden, this effort wrongly blames technology tools that give real-time housing pricing. Targeting AI may make for nice sounding press releases, but it’s no different than blaming the weatherman for the rain. This technology just reports on what the market is bearing and regulating it away does nothing to put more homes on the market or reduce costs for families. 

Or how about the federal and state lawmakers who have chosen to point fingers at housing investors? A study led by New York University’s Joshua Coven found that markets with greater institutional investment saw both an increase in available rental housing and a measurable drop in rents. This is because large-scale investors add to the pool of available rentals, which can ease competition and moderate costs. 

In other words, when investment is welcomed and new units are built, families benefit directly through lower costs and more options.

What does this all mean?

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Well, instead of seeing its role as one of restricting market activity, the Trump administration should view its job as one of increasing it. Because the only way to solve an affordable housing shortage is to build and invest more.

One approach could be to catalyze reform at the state and local level by making some programs and grants conditional on removing artificial limitations on construction, such as outdated zoning restrictions that prohibit multifamily development in high-demand areas.

Another could be to streamline federal permitting for infrastructure projects that support housing, such as roads, utilities and transit. These projects frequently get delayed and become more costly or less likely to get constructed as they languish, and streamlining would encourage builders to construct more.

The White House has already prioritized enacting economic policies that have freed workers and businesses from unnecessary burdens – ending taxes on tips and overtime, reducing red tape, and promoting growth through opportunity. Housing deserves the same treatment: less government interference and more room for private investment. 

This approach has worked before. Federal leaders just need to let it work again.

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What began as a roadside confrontation in Sugar Land spiraled into a deadly shooting rampage across Houston, leaving four people dead, including the suspected gunman, who police say took his own life.

The alleged shooter, who authorities have not yet identified, was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Houston Police Department Lt. Larry Crowson.

At about 12:30 p.m. local time, the Sugar Land Police Department reported a woman was killed near Highway 90 in an apparent road rage shooting.

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An hour later, a mechanic shop in Houston called 911 to report that a man had shot and killed a male employee.

A witness in a nearby warehouse went outside to film the gunman, who then fired several shots, killing the man.

Police were seen gathered near the Houston mechanic shop, where two of the victims were shot and killed on Wednesday. (KRIV)

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Houston police received a call a half an hour later about another shooting, where they found the suspect dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The vehicle the suspect was driving was connected to the two shootings, Crowson said.

Houston Police shared a photo of one of the alleged crime scenes on social media. (Houston Police via X)

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The identities of the three victims have not yet been released.

Houston detectives are coordinating with Sugar Land police.

Crowson said there is no danger to the public.

Eight people linked to a Houston-area midwife accused of allegedly performing illegal abortions have been arrested and indicted for practicing medicine without a license, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Wednesday.

In a statement shared online, Paxton described the group as “a cabal of abortion-loving radicals” who “endangered the very people they pretended to help.”

The arrests are the latest development in an investigation into Maria Margarita Rojas, 49,who earlier in 2025 became the first to be charged under the Texas Human Life Protection Act.

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Rojas faces 15 felony counts, including three for performing an abortion and 12 for practicing medicine without a license. Her case is ongoing.

Paxton said the eight new defendants were working under Rojas at her clinics in Waller, Cypress, Spring, and Katy. 

Those charged were identified as Yaimara Hernandez Alvarez, Alina Valeron Leon, Dalia Coromoto Yanez, Yhonder Lebrun Acosta, Liunet Grandales Estrada, Gerardo Otero Aguero, Sabiel Bosch Gongora, and Jose Manuel Cendan Ley. 

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Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general, during the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, on Tuesday, July 16, 2024.  (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In his statement, Paxton, who is running for U.S. Senate, said the arrests show his commitment to enforcing the state’s strict abortion laws and said, “beyond being illegal, it is evil.” 

“These dens of fake doctors will not be allowed to operate in Texas,” Paxton added. 

“Those responsible will be held accountable. I will always protect innocent life and use every tool to enforce Texas’s pro-life laws,” he said.

The Center for Reproductive Rights called the case against Rojas a “sham.” The organization is representing Rojas in a separate civil lawsuit.

Jenna Hudson, Senior Counsel, told Fox News Digital that the indictments were “an escalation of Texas’ scare campaign against doctors and healthcare workers.”

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Cesar Franco prays the Rosary with pro-life and aniti-abortion supporters gathered with the Tradition Family Property organization to sing and pray Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024 in protest to an apparent pro-abortion statue installed in Cullen Family Plaza on the campus of University of Houston.  (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Hudson said Paxton “went after Rojas, a licensed midwife dedicated to helping her pregnant patients.”

“He heartlessly shut down several clinics that provided lawful, affordable services to families around Houston, most of whom were low-income, uninsured immigrants with few options for health care, ” she added.

“It’s no coincidence that he is targeting Rojas and these clinics amid the widespread anti-immigrant sentiment nationwide. Texas health care workers deserve respect, not to be treated like criminals.”